Pancetta Pasta

Not sure if this would fall under the category of particularly healthy, but I created this recipe last night and it was delish!

Boil half a package of Angel Hair Pasta
or pasta of choice

Heat large frying pan with 1 Tbs Olive Oil and add
4 oz. finely chopped Pancetta
After 3-4 minutes of browing, add 1/4-1/3 C chopped
Walnuts
Add a little more oil if necessary.
After 1-2 minutes turn pan to medium low and add 2 cloves minced
garlic
Lastly, add in 1/4 C chopped Peppadew peppers (I got them at the fresh olive
bar in the grocery store)

Simmer a few minutes and then add in cooked pasta.  Add a little of the pasta water
and simmer until broth is mostly done
Stir in 1/2 to 3/4 C fresh grated parm/romano mixture and serve.
Yummo!

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Crockpot Oatmeal

I'm not a big fan of oatmeal, except oatmeal cookies... and oats in granola.  For some reason, I like my oats crispy.  I saw a couple of recipes for crock pot oatmeal though and thought I 'd give it a try since I'm trying to eat healthier.  On my junk food run to Target last night, they had one box of Steel Cut Oats left and I grabbed it. You have to use steel cut oats, or the mush will just disintegrate. They look like little brown pellets but of course swell up nicely when cooking and have a great texture.

So here's how to make the oatmeal:

Get your crock pot and in no particular order, put in:

1 C Steel Cut Oats
3 C water
1 C half and half
2 Tbs Butter cut up
1 tsp Salt
1Tbsp Cinnamon
2 Tbsps or more of Brown Sugar
Fruit of your choice:
I put in 3/4 of a large peeled, chopped apple
Dried cranberries would also be good
Nuts, if you like

That's it. Easy Peasy.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Wake up to yummy smelling and tasting oatmeal.
Don't laugh about the half and half.  It really gives it a richer taste and I feel eating all these oats will counteract any harmful effects of milk and sugar. :)

Let me know what you use in your crock pot oatmeal and we'll give it a try.!

Yeah, I haven't given up coffee either and probably won't.

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Tai Chi

Many years ago  when I was a young Grasshopper, I took Shaolin Kung Fu in Atlanta at the Atlanta Area Shaolin Center with Sifu Michael Reid (Now Master Reid).  I loved it.  Martial arts is such a great way to get in shape and relax. While there, I also took Tai Chi.  People look at folks going through the Tai Chi and think it's an old person's yoga or something.  However, it involves breathing techniques, focus and builds bone mass.
Part of my studies in Chinese Medicine has brought Tai Chi back to my attention.  I suffer from severe rheumatoid arthritis and various other things which has made me interested in alternative medicine in the first place.  I started watching my old tai chi video but it's just not the same as being with a teacher and getting constructive help along the way.
I've been driving past Parker Kung Fu center for a year now and never stopped in.  Chris (my son) and I went by after breakfast this morning.  WOW!  Sifu Wayne was amazing and got me out on the mat and put me through some tai chi right away. Then I got Chris to come inside and Sifu showed him some basic Chen Na and then we all did tai chi some more.   I signed Chris up for Kung Fu and I'm going to start Tai Chi in April.
I guess I've always been a Kung Fu geek. The boys and I love to watch Ip Man movies.  Kung Fu is just so healthy for your body and your spirit.  I'm glad my son wants to do this and I can't wait to get started on my road to health!

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Stressing

I've been studying for about a week now, and I'm so stressed.  I know I shouldn't be but I'm really overwhelmed at the amount of information I'm studying.  I could have just taken a western herbalist course and would of have been fine, but I wanted to learn Chinese and Ayurvedic as well so that I know how to treat myself and others better.

 I've been focusing on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and it's difficult to understand yet it makes sense as well.  I was always taught that Yin and Yang were just a silly new-agy symbol.  However, everything in Yin and Yang is about balance in your life and your internal organs.  If one organ is in trouble, it affects something else.  As I see it, it's not so much a religious belief as proven science that when one's body is out of balance it affects something else.

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Plant Healer Magazine

 I signed up for Plant Healer newsletter last month and downloaded the free issue.  It's such a beautiful, digital publication!  The artwork and variety of articles makes it a valuable resource for anyone interested in herbalism. Many of the worlds' best herbalists contribute to the magazine. There is so much work and information provided, that it takes me a few days to read and re-read everything.  If nothing else, click on the picture to go to the website and download your complimentary copy. 

Topics in the magazine range from folklore, wildcrafting, medicine making and more.
Let me know what you think!

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Class books arrived

I'm so excited. My official course arrived for my studies at East West School of Planetary Herbology or as we call it, Planet Herbs. This is just for the first 12 lessons. I wanted to make sure I was dedicated before paying for 1-36 at once. As it is, some people take a year or more to finish 1-12. I'm hoping it won't take me that long but want to make sure I grasp all of the information. Right now, it's like a lightbulb has switched on in my head.

 I chose East West because it integrates all Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic studies. Even in early Western medicine, we were closer to following ancient Greek and Chinese medicine, believing that parts of the body and symptoms told us something of deeper underlying issues. In the 1930's, pharmaceutical companies turned medicine into a business of money and developing petrochemicals got us away from using herbs and food as medicine. There was no money to be made if everyone knew they could pick dandelions out of their yard and have more nutrients and vitamins than something out of a bottle. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for medical doctors, but so often they treat symptoms and hand out pills instead of getting to the issue of why a person is sick to begin with. Okay, enough for now. I'm going with my scrapbook girlfriends on an outing after while and get my craft fix. More studies later!

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DoTerra Instead

So I was going to sell Young Living Essential Oils etc but decided not to and went with DoTerra instead. I got online with YL and did not like their website (which you have to pay extra for) and did not like their back office at all. A friend of mine here in Parker, Dr Heidi Heath, Chiropractor told me about DoTerra so I checked it out and liked it much better. Better prices, better marketing etc. I'm glad to be offering their products here and will share updates, recipes etc using their oils. I'm not an advocate of ingesting orally, even though DoTerra says it's okay. Maybe if diluted A LOT. Also, I don't subscribe to putting essential oils directly on the skin without a carrier oil. DoTerra does offer a fractionated coconut oil which I advise using to apply oils to skin. DIY: Dish Soap | dōTERRA Blog

http://doterrablog.com/diy-dish-soap

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New Books and Herbs

I'm so excited.  I went to the PO today and had a couple of boxes.  One box was from Amazon containing Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, and the other was Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies.
Then, I also had a box from Bulkherbstore.com with my comfrey and plantain to make salves.




I got A LOT of comfrey.  I'm teaching a class in April (the same one where we'll be making Fire Cider).  I've got to make the Comfrey Oil for a month in advance so the salve is nice and potent.

And of course, I couldn't resist the cute mortar and pestle.  The mortar has grooves inside which supposedly help with grinding the herbs.

So back to the books:  I LOVE Rosemary Gladstar.  I have her other book, Medicinal Herbs, on my Nook but I'm glad I got this in paperback.  I think reference books, recipe books and ones with lots of pictures are so much easier to use when non-digital.  There are so many things in this that I can't wait to try.  
The Plants of the Rockies book is of course, full of pictures and great information.  Being new to the West, many of these are new to me.  Many people out here actually hate Aspen trees because they grow like weeds and in groves and have these crazy root systems.  However, I think they're beautiful.  Aspen bark can be made into a tea and treat the following: urinary tract infection, fevers, diarrhea and worms.  The young leaves and catkins can be eaten and are rich in Vitamin C.
Amazing!! I'm looking forward to Spring when I can go foraging for plants.
 

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Fire Cider Part 2

I posted a couple of weeks ago about the benefits of fire cider and also the video of Rosemary Gladstar making her version. There is also a recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs (I have a couple of their links on this site). I actually combined the two recipes due to what I had on hand and here's what I came up with:

 1/2 C peeled, chopped ginger root
 1/2 C peeled chopped horseradish root
1 medium onion chopped
10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
 Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs dried rosemary leaves
1 Tbs Tumeric
 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
 Top off Cider Vinegar

 Put in a mason jar (I put parchment under the lid as someone suggested). Shake well and put in cool dark cabinet. Shake daily. After a month, strain through a cheesecloth, squeeze well and flavor with local raw honey to desired sweetness. Here are some pictures:

                         Here are the ingredients ready to go.  The recipe from Mountain Rose said to GRATE the ginger and horseradish

What a pain.  And here's what happened....

So I gave up the stupid grating.  Rosemary says in her video to CHOP the ingredients so that's what I did.

Use a heavy knife for the roots because they are hard to cut.

I smashed the garlic gloves to remove skin and release the oil

Can I say just how much I love my Zester???















And here's the finished product.  Voila!

I'm teaching a class in April on how to make this.  Having never done so myself, I thought it important to do.  I'm also teaching how to make natural "neosporin" which I'll show you as soon as my comfrey and yarrow arrive in the mail.

Hope you've enjoyed this little lesson and let me know how yours turns out!!

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Wild Medicine Solution

I've been reading an amazing book by Guido Mase called The Wild Medicine Solution: Healing with Aromatic, Bitter, and Tonic Plants .  Guido is such a great storyteller as well as teacher.  He refers back to his childhood in Italy and shares a thee hundred year old peppermint tincture by nuns in his village.  There is so much information and science about "gut" health and the digestive system.  What I like about this book is almost every chapter deals with an herb that most people have readily available like garlic, lemon balm, peppermint, ginger and dandelion.
I'm only a few chapters in but can't put this down!  Read it and share your thoughts.

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Rosemary's Fire Cider

One of the first herbalists I started following was Rosemary Gladstar of Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat. Her depth of knowledge is amazing. I'm currently reading Medicinal Herbs, A beginners Guide. One of the remedies in the book is her recipe for Fire Cider, a healthy blend to stave off colds. I can't wait to make some. Enjoy the video below

There is currently someone who is trying to copyright the name "Fire Cider" and many of us are signing the petition against it.  It's a generic name which has been handed down through generations.  It's like trying to copyright the name "juice".
Here's the link if you wish to learn more and add your name to the petition.

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Weeds

I think the most interesting thing that I'm learning so far, is so many useful plants are considered "weeds".  Of course everyone knows you can eat young dandelions for instance, but did you know that the root is good for the liver?  The root and leaves are good for digestion and are packed with viatmins A,B,C,D and iron, potassium and more. From what I've read, some people even saute the flowers and eat them as well.  Here's an informative video to watch.

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Welcome

Hi friends,

This is my spot to follow my journey of learning herbalism and natural healing.  Here's my story: When I was 35, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  I was in such terrible pain I had to crawl down my stairs, could barely walk and couldn't sleep.
The first medications I was given were loads of prednisone and methotrexate (which is used for cancer treatment).  I just felt worse.  The prednisone helped with the inflammation but the methotrexate made me sick.  Over the years, I went through all sorts of medication and finally started taking Humira Injections.  They greatly improved my quality of life as far as pain and inflammation, but all these medications caused high blood pressure and high blood sugar.  Then I was prescribed MORE medicine.  Plus living in constant pain causes depression so I had to take anti-depressants as well.
I know that I can never live entirely without certain medications, but I can certainly take control of my life and learn how to heal many of my issues naturally.
I'm hoping to start taking courses from East West School of Planetary Herbology in the next month.  I can'tseem to get enough learning now that I'm determined.  I've discovered the "godmothers" of herbalism: Susan Weed and Rosemary Gladstar.  Also there are greats like Michael Tierra, Christopher Hobbs and so many more.
Here's what Michael Tierra (my future mentor) says:

What we face now is a world health crisis. For too many, mainstream medicine remains inaccessible due to the rising cost of health care insurance. Add to that the inability of conventional medicine to offer a satisfactory solution for many diseases. Then there's the plethora of adverse side effects from prescription drug use

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